Rising Sun
by topazchild
Summary: Merlin loses his powers, and a noble's secret son holds the key to freeing the kingdom from a devastating curse.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The two events happened nearly simultaneously.

One of King Uther's nobles (and staunchest supporters), Lord Torr, had joined him for the evening meal. Arthur and Morgana sat on either side of the king. Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sir Leon, and several high ranking members of the council rounded out the dinner list. Elyan and Percival along with two other knights were on guard duty near the entrance.

Everyone was mostly through eating and was kicked back drinking wine and talking in the manner of old friends when a current of cold air seemed to blow through the room. Merlin backed hastily away from where the prince was sitting and looked uneasily around the room. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Arthur turned in his chair and looked at him. "Something wrong?"

"Something….," Merlin muttered.

A sudden wind swirled in the center of the room spinning out icy fog and smoke, and in the midst of that, a girl materialized. Seconds later, Merlin fell heavily to the floor and lay unmoving.

Alarmed, Arthur sprang to his feet. _What the hell -? _After the first stunned silence, everyone started talking, the clamor echoing in the dining hall.

"Guards!" Uther roared. "Seize her!"

Four knights hurried to obey the king's command. The girl hastily raised one hand, and an invisible barrier formed around her, effectively preventing the knights from grabbing her. At the same time, the prince attempted to reach his servant and discovered to his horror that Merlin lay _inside_ her protective barrier. _Well, this just keeps getting better and better_, he thought.

"No closer, Prince Arthur," the girl said.

Thwarted, the blonde-haired young man studied her. She looked to be about seventeen, her auburn hair falling a few inches past her shoulders, a somber look in her brown eyes. She wore a filmy black gown which went oddly with her extreme youth and a hooded cape of midnight blue. Around her neck dangled a necklace with a firebird set with flaming rubies. So long was the silver chain that the charm fell to her navel. She looked like a child that had dressed herself from her mother's wardrobe.

"What is it you want?" Arthur demanded.

She started to reply when Merlin groaned and moved his head fractionally. The girl hastily knelt beside him and lifted his left wrist.

"Don't touch him!" Arthur said, fuming, hating his helplessness.

Ignoring the prince, the girl retrieved a bracelet from a pocket in her cape and, murmuring a few words, clasped it hurriedly around Merlin's wrist. She pulled the sleeve of his jacket down. If Gaius had been in the room, he would have known that the mysterious girl had just neutralized the warlock's magic.

The room fell silent as the dark-haired young man rolled over onto his stomach then weakly pushed himself into a sitting position. He sat there, his head drooping, all energy gone from his body. After watching him for a moment, the girl knelt in front of him, steadying herself with one hand on his left shoulder. "Don't stress yourself, Emrys," she whispered into his ear, "I have no intention of harming you." Her hair felt soft against his face, and she smelled faintly of cinnamon and orchids. She leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek. She stood back up and, far from moving away from the warlock, she stood close enough that her cape brushed against him in a pose that looked oddly protective.

Watching, Arthur relaxed a bit, deciding that the auburn-haired girl posed no immediate threat to his friend. His relief was short-lived as an unwelcome thought surfaced in his mind. If she decided to take him with her, he had no way of stopping her.

"Who are you?" the king demanded. "And what is it you want?"

"And what have you done to my servant?" Arthur added.

"He is nobody's servant," the girl replied, cryptically, a slight frown marring her youthful features.

"Arthur," his father said. "I will deal with this."

The king looked across the room at their unexpected visitor. The girl was watching Merlin fumbling with the bracelet trying to pull it off. "You can't get it off you know," she told him. "It can only be removed by magic."

"Take it off," the warlock mumbled in a low voice, still sitting dejectedly at her feet.

"No, it stays for now." She reached down and ruffled his hair.

"Young lady," said an exasperated Geoffrey of Monmouth. "Will you kindly get to the point! Some of us have important affairs to attend to. I myself am working on a book." There was a general hubbub as everyone expressed similar sentiments.

"Who are you?" the king repeated. "And why are you here?" The girl seemed to have the attention span of a small child.

"You may call me Mariana," she said, looking at the king. "I have been sent by my mother to give you a warning. There is a curse on your kingdom. No young will be born of your farm animals or the animals of your forests. And your young women will bear no children."

Once again the room was shocked into silence. The king stared at her in consternation. _Could this possibly be true?_

This time the girl continued without prompting. "Someone in your kingdom has captured the firebird and is holding it captive." She fingered the charm on her silver chain. "To break the curse, you must find it and set it free."

The girl looked over to the table and noticed Morgana. She studied her for a moment, noticing her dress and the way she wore her hair. "I like what you've done with your hair. Do you fix it yourself?"

"Thank you. No, my maid, Guinevere, does it for me."

"Do you know where we can find this creature? The firebird?" Arthur asked, trying to get the conversation back on topic. He was still standing feet from Merlin and the girl, but it may as well been ten kilometers for all the good it was doing him.

"You must take the son of Lord Torr with you on your quest. He will help you locate the firebird."

Everyone looked at each other confusedly. "Your information is faulty, young lady," Uther said, impatiently, rising to his feet. "I have known Lord Torr for over twenty years. He has no children." The king happened to glance down the table at the noble as he spoke. The man would not meet his eyes. After a moment, Uther sank back into his chair. Well, this was a day for surprises.

Mariana bent down and grasped an unresisting Merlin by the hand. Seeing her action, the prince paled. "Don't take my ser- Don't take him!" Arthur said, hastily. "My knights and I will locate and free the firebird. You have my word as a knight."

Mariana hesitated. She looked undecided.

"Who is your mother, child?" Geoffrey asked, curiously.

"Her name is Persephone."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Goddess of the underworld?" Geoffrey asked, not sure if he had heard correctly.

"Yes, that's my mother," Mariana replied, proudly, her fingers tossing a strand of hair off her face.

"Arthur." The prince did not need the historian's warning. If she left with his servant, she would take him to her home. Across the River Styx and down into Hades. No.

"We thank you for your timely warning," the prince said in a courtly manner. "Speaking on behalf of my father (here the prince nodded at the king), this court, and myself, we promise you that we will do everything in our power to do as you've requested. In return, I ask only that you not take my ser- Merlin - with you when you leave."

After a moment, the girl nodded thoughtfully. "Agreed," she said, sounding a little disappointed. She turned loose of Merlin's hand and reaching in her pocket pulled out what looked like - and probably was - a pomegranate. Kneeling once more by the warlock, she handed the fruit to him and whispered in his ear, "For you, Emrys. In case you get hungry later."

"Arthur," Geoffrey hissed, in lowered tones, "I need to speak to you."

"Not now, Geoffrey."

Mariana straightened up and readjusted her dress and cape. "Look away from me, Em - Merlin. Cover your eyes."

The warlock looked up at her with a pleading look in his blue eyes. "Take it off, please." His fingers pushed in vain against the bracelet.

"No, I'm sorry, but I can't let you stop me."

"I won't, I won't, I promise." The words, nearly inaudible, were for her ears alone. Arthur, alone among the room's occupants, was close enough to hear. The prince, listening, frowned perplexed. There was something going on here that he didn't understand. Was Merlin in pain? He wished he had time to send for Gaius.

"Look away from me," she repeated, firmly. "Do as I say."

Arthur felt a twinge of sympathy. He could have told the girl that Merlin rarely did as he was told.

Raising her hand in a flurry of activity, Mariana dissolved the protective shield around herself and Merlin. Diving forward, Arthur grabbed his friend and pushed him flat against the floor onto his belly. The prince then threw himself down beside him, his eyes tightly closed.

"Arthur!" The king sprang to his feet as the rapidly spiraling wind threw out icy tentacles of frigid air. Several crystal goblets shattered and one of the long windows. There was a tormented moan then dead silence as the portal closed.

Persephone's daughter had returned home.


	3. Chapter 3

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.**

Chapter Three

Arthur sat up, an icy fog swirling around him. He felt chilled to the bone. He looked up and saw the shattered window and broken glass littering the floor. Outside air flowed into the room. Everything had a sort of dreamlike quality about it. He reached down and touched Merlin's cold fingers. Relief flooded through him when the pressure of his fingers was returned. The boy was awake but still lying on his stomach where the prince had shoved him to the floor.

"Sit up, Merlin." His servant made a half-hearted attempt to push himself up with his hands and failed. It felt like all the energy had been drained from his body. The prince nodded at Percival and Elyan who pulled him into a sitting position.

"Are you all right, Arthur?" the king asked. His father was standing there looking down at him, Geoffrey by his side.

"Just very cold, father." Arthur rubbed his arms, trying to warm himself.

The king turned to Sir Leon. "Have one of the servants bring some blankets."

Geoffrey reached down beside Merlin and picked up the pomegranate. "It would be best if Merlin did not eat this."

"I couldn't agree more," Arthur replied. "Do something with it."

Ten minutes later, Arthur was standing with a blanket around his shoulders giving instructions to Elyan. "Take Merlin to his room. If Gaius is still out, wait there until he returns."

"I'm not a baby," Merlin protested.

"You just fainted like a little girl."

"I passed out. There's a difference."

The prince ignored him. To Elyan: "Report back here to me."

Meanwhile, the king had organized an emergency meeting of the council and the higher ranking knights. Some of them had been present at the dinner party and were already in the room. A few others were sent for. Lord Torr had been ordered by the king to remain. The first order of business was to determine whether or not there was in fact a curse of infertility on the realm. The king, the crown prince, and Sir Leon had organized the knights into small intel-gathering groups with the intention of dispatching them to the lower town, outlying farms, and even into the nearby woods with instructions to find babies - both human and animal - and report back. (They were not of course to return with the actual baby. No visual aids were needed.)

A short time later

"Lord Torr, a word," King Uther said.

"Sire." The noble looked resigned, his usual swagger missing. He was a large, burly man in his late fifties with a bristly beard and mustache.

"Arthur, if you would join us," his father said.

"Yes, father." The flaxen-haired prince retook his seat by the king, a blanket still around his shoulders. His teeth had stopped chattering, but he couldn't seem to get warm.

Most of the large hall had emptied out of people, the knights gone to do the king's bidding, Morgana to run errands, Geoffrey to work on his book, and members of the council on a brief recess. Several guards stood at the door while servants were busy clearing the long table and cleaning up the damage Mariana had left in her wake.

"Get comfortable, Arthur. I'm sure Lionel has quite a lot to tell us."

Lord Torr shot a wry look at his old friend. "You're enjoying this, aren't you, Uther?"

"A little bit," the king said, chuckling.

"My son is thirty years old. His mother was a serving girl on my family's estate. I had been married at the time for less than a year, too soon to know that my wife would be barren."

The king turned to his son. "You may recall, Arthur, that Lord Torr's wife died several months ago."

The prince nodded. He already knew that.

"My wife discovered my-uh-indiscretion and demanded that I send the girl and her baby packing," Lord Torr continued. "I gave Becca a small amount of money and had several of my men escort the two of them to a village where she had family. Through an intermediary I sent her money from time to time, enough to engage a tutor for my son. I have been informed that - Justin - can read and write, do his figures and even has a rudimentary understanding of Greek and Latin. When he grew old enough, Becca apprenticed him to a craftsman."

"What is your relationship with your son today?" Arthur asked, curious.

"There is none." Lord Torr managed to keep any regret he might have been feeling out of his voice.

"But you've talked with him," Arthur persisted.

"No, I have never spoken with him. I saw him up close only once - shortly after he was born. I didn't even touch him."

Arthur stared. "Surely there can be no objection now? To a relationship, I mean."

Lord Torr shrugged. "I don't know. Too much time has passed."

"All right, to the matter at hand," Uther said, briskly. "You were here earlier. Our unexpected visitor -"

"Mariana," the prince supplied.

"Mariana - has informed us that your son will be able to help us find the firebird. Where might we find your son?"

"Justin has a shop in his village but travels when he has commissions. He paints - portraits and murals mostly. Oh," he added, as an afterthought, "he also designs coats of arms and family crests."

Arthur looked up at that. _Interesting_.


	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter Four

The man standing at the window looking out was clean shaven with slicked back dark brown hair. He had hollowed-out cheeks, a sharp nose, and was of a calculating and avaricious nature. Now in his early forties, Daegan had been a child when his cousin, Lord Torr, had married. As Lord Torr's closest male relative, Daegan stood to inherit the title, a significant amount of money, and vast land holdings. He was wealthy in his own right, but he coveted his cousin's title and valuable lands. His expectations grew each year that Lionel's wife failed to give him an heir.

A few years ago an unwelcome bit of gossip came to his ears. One of his stable hands, related by blood to a maid in Lionel's household, had told the man in charge of his stables that Lord Torr was rumored to have fathered a son out of wedlock. Ordinarily, Daegan wouldn't have bothered giving much credence to gossip fourth hand at best had the stakes not been so high. Calling the stable hand in before him, Daegan had promised him a promotion and a tidy sum of money if he could substantiate the rumor, put a name to the now adult son, and pinpoint the man's location. All of which the man had so far failed to do.

Over time, Daegan had decided that either this supposed son did not exist and had been fabricated by the maid, or Lionel, for whatever reason, had no contact with him. None. Nevertheless, a small but persistent feeling of unease continued to nag at him.

Back to the meeting between King Uther, Prince Arthur, and Lord Torr

"Does your son ever exhibit his paintings and so forth at craft fairs?" Arthur asked, on a thought.

"Yes, he's done so in the past," Lionel replied.

The king, following his son's line of reasoning, also anticipated his next question. "We currently have a craft fair in the lower town. Might your son be at that?" Uther asked.

Lord Torr looked thoughtful. "Yes, I would say there's a very good possibility."

"Father," Arthur said, "I'll take a couple of the men and go down there myself." He made to rise.

Uther laid his hand on his son's arm to stay him. "No, Lionel and I will go. I need to get out of the castle for a while, and I want some fresh air. Stay here until we return." To the noble: "Lionel." The king looked at his friend and stopped. The man had an appalled, balky expression on his face. "What is it?"

"I would rather not…..," Lord Torr stammered, apologetically.

"From what you've just told us," Uther said, a bit impatiently, "Your son would not recognize you."

"Does he know of you?" Arthur asked. "Would he recognize your name?"

"I don't know. Becca has been dead for several years. I had no direct dealings with her after I had her escorted from my estate. I always used an intermediary when I sent her money." He took a deep breath and, rather with the air of someone on their way to the gallows, said, "All right, Uther, I'm with you."

Arthur was on his way out of the hall when he met Elyan reporting back to him. "Gaius is back?"

"Yes, sire, he just returned a few minutes ago," Elyan answered.

"Good, I'll check on Merlin myself then probably be in my chambers. Notify me immediately when the knights return."

"Yes, Sire."

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Merlin was feeling very sorry for himself. Tears fell from his blue eyes and rolled down his cheeks. After Elyan had left, Merlin told Gaius what had happened in the dining hall. At least the part he was conscious for. Gaius pulled his ward against his chest and held him for a while.

The door to Gaius' chambers was open a few inches. Arthur pushed it open a bit further and saw Merlin being comforted. Feeling a bit like he was intruding, Arthur backed up silently and was on the verge of leaving.

"How can I protect Arthur now without magic?" Merlin asked, distraught.

Arthur froze. The remark seemed to make no sense. He must have misunderstood, surely. Merlin was sobbing, and he didn't hear him correctly. That was it.

"You mustn't give up so easily, Merlin," Gaius said. "There's an inscription on the bracelet. Let me copy it down, and I'll probably be able to decipher it."

"Okay," Merlin said, in a shaky voice.

Gaius gave him a final hug and stepped back. "Now dry your tears. You'll get your magic back. I'm sure Arthur can survive a few days without your help."

Shaken, Arthur turned and retraced his steps down the corridor as quietly as he could. This was going to take some processing. He stopped and looked around. He saw and heard no one. Good. He needed to be alone right now.

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Justin's mother _had_ told her son who and what his father was. She had explained that he was a married nobleman - close confidant to the king, in fact - and that, regrettably, Justin could have no relationship with him. Several of Becca's male relatives had taken an interest in the boy as he'd grown up, and he'd felt more loved than otherwise.

Justin had grown into a quiet, reserved man, soft-spoken and with an artistic bend. He was of a stocky build with his father's smoky gray eyes, and his mother's straight brown hair.

It was late evening and Justin was packing the unsold artworks from the stall he shared with another artisan. The crowds were beginning to disperse when he heard a murmuring among the remaining fairgoers and a small commotion as the people parted.

"Packing up now, are you?" Uther asked.

Justin looked up, surprised, to see the king, several of his knights and another man standing in front of his stall.

"Sire," Justin acknowledged with a bow. "Is there anything in particular that I can show you?" Thinking perhaps that the king had ventured out to view art.

"No," Uther replied. "I'm here to speak with you. This is Lord Torr, who is - "

"My father," Justin responded, startled into blurting out.

"Well, yes," the king said. He had been going to say 'my friend,' but this settled the question once and for all as to whether Justin knew who his father was. There was silence as both father and son studied each other in their first face-to-face. Lord Torr saw a bit of Becca in his son and the gray eyes from his side of the family. He had a brief moment of intense regret from all the lost years but suppressed it to be dealt with later.

The king looked around at the listening crowd and conferred with his knights in lowered tones. To Justin: "We will continue this conversation in my castle. Finish packing up your things and join us. One of the knights will remain behind to escort you." With that, King Uther had grabbed at the arm of Lord Torr and turned and left through the parting crowd. Overwhelmed and feeling a bit bewildered, Justin stood and watched them until they had vanished from view.

One of the men in the crowd had watched with particular interest. It was the stable hand who worked for Daegan. He hurried off. Daegan would pay handsomely for this information.


	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter Five

The surprising thing was that he felt no surprise. Arthur realized with near certainty that Merlin had been using magic for years in front of him and who knew who else. Magic was the elusive quality that made Merlin so uniquely himself. It came to him as a kind of insight that other people knew of Merlin's magic. It was a wonder in itself that the idiot hadn't managed to get himself killed long ago. What was _wrong_ with Gaius? he thought, unreasonably. He was supposed to be protecting him. On that thought, another followed. Merlin's mother had sent him to Gaius - to Camelot - to keep him safe. He was starting to see things with startling clarity. It hadn't been Will who had magic. It had been Merlin. No wonder Hunith had been frantic to send her son away from Ealdor.

Any anger or sense of betrayal that Arthur felt was buried under the crushing weight of terror. He had been forced from childhood by his father to watch a steady stream of men, women, and children put to death for the crime of sorcery. He couldn't bear to think of anything like that happening to Merlin. His father was not killing his friend. No, no, and hell, no.

He thought back to his first encounter with the young man. He had thought of him then as a mouthy idiot - Arthur stopped his racing thoughts for a moment and smiled - well, he still was. The prince remembered laughing when this scrawny, malnourished stranger had stood up to him. The dark-haired youth had told him that he could take him out with less than one blow. Arthur sagged against the wall and groaned. He had meant that literally. He replayed those early events in his head. Merlin had managed to elude him for a surprisingly long amount of time. He had been using magic. In the open. The idiot. It was a wonder he had survived his first _week_ in Camelot.

Arthur had intended to leave Merlin with Gaius to rest up. Now that he reflected (unfairly) on the completely inadequate job the physician was doing protecting him, he decided to bring his friend with him. It wasn't Arthur Pendragon who needed a bodyguard. It was Merlin. The prince was not leaving him alone, unprotected against his father, completely overlooking the fact that hundreds of people lived and worked in the castle.

Who else did Merlin spend time with besides Gaius and himself? Guinevere, Gwaine, Lancelot ….. Did any of them know? Maybe. Okay, bottom line. If he had to ride out to deal with this current crisis, Merlin was coming with him and the knights if he had to throw him belly down across his horse. Arthur straightened up and walked back to Gaius' quarters making more noise this time. A few throat-clearing coughs, some scuffing of boots, the rattling of keys on his belt …

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"One of the earliest mentions of the firebird or phoenix is in the Egyptian _Book of the Dead_," Gaius said. Hoping to divert Merlin from his gloomy thoughts, the physician was imparting information that the young man mostly already knew. However, he found it comforting to sit and listen and escape his problems if only for a little while.

"It's a symbol of the rising sun," Gaius continued, "and represents rebirth and immortality. About the size of an eagle, its feathers are red and gold."

Arthur pushed open the door and entered. Gaius stopped. "Sire?"

"Continue, Gaius," the prince said. He walked over to where Merlin was sitting and, putting his hand around the back of his servant's neck, tightened his fingers for a few seconds. Merlin looked up at him questioningly.

The physician looked over at Arthur trying to gauge his mood and failing. He continued. "The rarest of creatures, only one firebird exists at a time. At the end of five hundred years, it builds a nest of twigs which then becomes its funeral pyre. (Here Arthur sat down on the bench on Merlin's left side.) It carries the ashes of its old self wrapped in myrrh to Heliopolis in Egypt."

Gaius continued speaking, something about Herodotus and Ovid, but the prince tuned him out. He was remembering the strange conversation between Merlin and the girl in the dining hall. Arthur pushed the sleeve of Merlin's blue shirt up (an old one of Arthur's that he'd outgrown) causing his servant to try to pull his arm away. "Arthur…"

Ignoring his protest, Arthur gripped Merlin's arm and proceeded to examine the bracelet. For the first time, he had a full understanding of what the silver band was doing to the dark-haired young man.

"Is this causing you pain?" the prince asked, indicating the bracelet.

"No."

Gaius had stopped speaking and was watching the prince.

"You _are_ my servant," Arthur said, letting go of his arm.

"Boy, nothing gets past you," Merlin replied, sarcastically.

"She said you weren't."

Just then there was a rap on the door, and Elyan entered. "The knights are back, Sire."

Arthur got up and hurriedly left the room.

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The various reports brought back by the knights were uniformly ominous.

Arthur, accompanied by Elyan, entered the conference room to find people standing around in small groups talking. His father was talking in lowered tones to a young man who he rightly guessed to be Justin. Nearby stood Lord Torr, mostly silent. The noble was watching his son as the king spoke to him. Uther paused and looked up.

"Arthur, you're here. Good." The king sat down at the end of the long conference table and indicated that the rest of the room should join him. Justin, uneasy with sitting by his father, hastily sat in the chair by the prince.

The king introduced Justin and briefly explained the situation to the very few people who were not present to witness Mariana's appearance earlier. "Sir Leon?"

"Sire, my men have been unable to find any child under the age of one." He paused for the ripple of dismay that wound its way around the table.

"You went to outlying farms also?" Uther asked.

"The closest ones, yes, sire."

"Go on."

"No animal young were found. No lambs, calves, foals, and so forth. No puppies or kittens even. And this may not mean anything, but no fawns or other animal young were spotted in the woods."

There were scattered conversations around the room as people discussed the implications. The king bent his head and held a whispered _tête-à-tête _with his son. They both turned toward Justin, and the king explained what they would be needing from him. The king then cleared his throat, and the room fell silent.

"I think we can agree that the curse is very real. Does anyone disagree with that statement? No?" He introduced Justin although everyone had already guessed at his identity.

"We've been told, Justin, that you can help us locate and free the firebird," the king said. "Do you know its location?"

"I have never seen it," Justin said, uncomfortable being the focus of so many eyes, "but I can venture a guess. A few months ago, I designed and painted a coat of arms for a man. He described in great detail what he wanted as an emblem, even down to the specific colors. He wanted a phoenix with a background of a rising sun." He paused as people exchanged glances and murmured.

"His name?" Uther prompted.

"It was Daegan."

Lord Torr swore. "Uther, you know the man is kin to me, and as my closest male relative, he's my - "

Lord Torr stammered to a halt as he looked across the table at his son.


	6. Chapter 6

**Please read and review/critique. Thanks.**

Chapter Six

Late evening

Merlin yawned and started to get up to go to his room.

"Wait, Merlin," Gaius said, "I need to make a copy of the inscription."

The drowsy young man mumbled something but obligingly sat back down. His guardian sat beside him on the bench and pushed the sleeve of his shirt up. Gaius spun the bracelet around looking for the start of the quotation. Finding it, he gripped the young man's arm with one hand while he made a written copy.

Cum radii orientis solis hanc feriat,

tu liberatus erls.

"It's in Latin, Merlin. Geoffrey's Latin is better than mine. I'll take this to him, and let him decipher it." He paused on a thought. "It's getting late. Geoffrey is probably already in bed. Will you be all right until morning?"

"Yes," Merlin said, drowsily, wanting only to sleep.

"I'll take it to him first thing in the morning then," Gaius said.

He would come to regret that decision.

Back to Conference Room

Due to the lateness of the hour, the members of the council had been dismissed. Remaining were the king, Prince Arthur, Lord Torr, the knights, and Justin. The latter had been told - bluntly - by the king that he would be spending the night in the castle, leaving him feeling a bit like a prisoner. It would be nice to be asked and not told, he thought.

"Tell us about your cousin, Daegan," the king said to Lord Torr. "Can we do this the easy way? Will he cooperate and obey a direct command?"

"The two of us are not close, Uther. Except for the occasional family gathering, I rarely see him. I dislike the man. I have found him to be dishonest and duplicitous."

"So - no?" Uther said. "Arthur and his knights can't simply tell him to release the firebird?"

"My gut-level feeling is no," Lord Torr replied.

The king turned to Justin. "Your impression of the man?"

"He told me what he wanted, Sire, in great detail. When I finished, he told me he was pleased and paid me. It was a business arrangement only."

"It would have been interesting to see the coat-of-arms you designed. Possibly even helpful."

"I kept a preliminary sketch. It's not with me."

"Daegan's castle is northwest of here?" The king glanced from Justin to his father.

"Yes, you know it as Drachenfels. It lies partly in ruins." There was a sharp intake of breath from several of the knights.

"I've been there only once years ago before Arthur was born," Uther said. "It's a two-day ride as I recall."

"Actually, Uther, there is a shorter route which knocks off half a day," Lord Torr said.

Justin looked in surprise at his father. This was the first he'd heard of it.

Lord Torr looked at the prince. "You may not want to take the shortcut, Arthur. It's over rough terrain and jagged rock. Drachenfels itself sits atop a craggy peak bound by marshland on one side. It's been in my family for generations. I find it inhospitable and have chosen never to live there. Daegan is less fastidious in his requirements."

The meeting dragged on for another half hour with several of the attendees threatening to fall asleep. Arthur had originally intended to leave at first light, but he amended that to an hour later. He and Sir Leon could discuss tactics enroute.

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The next morning, Gaius popped into Merlin's tiny room. "I'm going to see Geoffrey right now. You are to stay here until I return," the physician said, firmly. "Do not go anywhere. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Merlin mumbled from under the blanket.

A few moments later, Arthur entered Gaius' chambers to find them empty. He sprinted up the few steps into Merlin's room. His servant was burrowed under the single blanket.

"Merlin, wake up."

_What was the prince doing in his room?_ The warlock mumbled a few words, then lowered the blanket and looked Arthur over critically. "You're dressed." _Wow. _

"Your powers of observation never cease to amaze. You need to perform a similar feat. We're leaving."

"I thought you were giving me the day off," Merlin grumbled.

"Change of plans. Hurry up."

"Gaius said I had to stay here until he returned."

That was the wrong thing to say to a royal prince. In two strides, Arthur was at the bed. He tore off the blanket, grabbed Merlin under his arms, and hauled him bodily out of bed.

"Well, guess what, _Mer_lin," Arthur said, getting in his face, "I outrank him."

The action illustrated for Merlin how vulnerable he now was to friends, foes, and royal prats. "You can turn loose now." The warlock's blue eyes studied the prince. "Did you dress yourself?"

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Arthur sent several of the knights to various taverns looking for Gwaine. He had his own reasons for wanting that rakish young man to join them. He had to content himself with leaving messages for both Gwaine and Lancelot. To his chagrin, his men were unable to locate either of them. He was curious if either Gwaine or Lance knew of Merlin's magic. He had a suspicion that either one or both knew.

It was closer to two hours after sunrise when they departed. Lord Torr and Justin joined them. Both men were familiar with the main route (although Arthur decided to take the shortcut), and both knew Daegan and were familiar with the castle. Uther remained behind in Camelot.

They were several hours out when Arthur began to notice that Merlin did not have his usual energy levels. He seemed fatigued, the riding an ordeal for him. When they stopped beside a stream to water the horses and give themselves a breather, the dark-haired young man stumbled a bit getting off his horse. When they remounted a half hour later, Arthur 'just happened' to be in a position to assist Merlin should he need it. Moments later, Arthur was relieved to see Gwaine and Lancelot break through the trees and lope up beside them.

Gwaine and Lancelot both smiled at Merlin who looked delighted to see them. "Trying to sneak off without us, were you, mate?"

Nightfall in camp

Arthur was determined to hear that conversation.

The prince had placed his bedroll a few feet from Merlin's, effectively sandwiching that young man between himself and the rock face. If either Gwaine or Lance wanted to get to Merlin, they had to practically step over his body to do so. Satisfied that neither knight could reach his friend without his knowledge, Arthur dozed off. It was sometime after midnight that the prince felt a darker shadow fall over him. He opened his eyes a slit and, more by the size and shape, recognized the shadowy figure as Lancelot. Arthur felt a surge of irritation. What was the man thinking taking such a risk? Arthur could have easily killed him. After stepping over the prince, Lance knelt by Merlin and put his hand over the young man's mouth. Arthur watched as Merlin jolted awake then relaxed as he recognized his friend. Lance made a shushing motion then indicated with a nod of his head that he wanted Merlin to follow him.

Lancelot stepped around the prince's bedroll. Merlin, clumsy with sleep, kicked the end of it and stepped on his blanket. _Really? _Arthur thought. _I'm supposed to sleep through that? _He felt a totally inappropriate and uncharacteristic urge to giggle which he immediately squelched. He saw Merlin freeze and focused on keeping his breathing steady and even. After a moment, his servant continued following Lancelot out of camp.

Arthur sat up and looked toward the knight on sentry duty. It was Elyan as he well knew. Guinevere's brother had not felt the need to challenge two men coming from _within_ the camp. Arthur carefully noted the direction his servant and the knight had taken. After a few minutes, he got up silently to follow them.

Lord Torr propped himself up on one elbow. He had just watched three men sneak out of camp, one of them the king's son. It would be fascinating to know what was going on, but he doubted that anyone would tell him. He laid down and went back to sleep.

**a/n: Drachenfels is actually in Germany. I just thought the name sounded really cool.**

**a/n: The Latin quotation is supposed to be centered on the page, but I couldn't figure out how to make it stay there. Yay me.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Please review/critique. Thanks.**

Chapter Seven

A thick matting of mingled pine needles, broken twigs, dead and rotting leaves, and lichen muffled the prince's footsteps as he entered the forest. He listened to the night sounds needing to separate them in his mind from any sound the two men were making. He heard the rustling of some small animal, possibly a raccoon or possum, the screech of an owl, and somewhere far off, the mournful howl of a wolf. As he moved silently through the oak and pine, he reflected briefly on the irony of tracking _friends_ instead of enemies. Finally, he heard a faint voice in the near distance - Merlin's - and he slowed, careful not to snap any fallen branches with his boots.

The warlock was concluding a recital of the previous day's misadventures. Lancelot was trying to read the inscription on the bracelet but it was too dark. "I could use your blue orb of light, Merlin." Arthur was startled. _The blue orb -?_

"We both know that's not going to happen," Merlin said, bitterly. "Oh, it's in Latin, so it wouldn't do you any good anyway. Er, you can't read Latin, can you?"

"No such luck."

"Gaius went to get it translated from Geoffrey this morning, but the royal prat dragged me out of bed and practically threw me on a horse." Arthur's eyes narrowed from where he stood concealed by several trees.

Little alarm bells had been going off for some time in the back of Lancelot's mind. "Merlin," he said, slowly, "what does Arthur think the bracelet is doing to you?"

The warlock groaned. He hadn't seen the danger coming from that direction. "He came to Gaius' chambers yesterday in some kind of strange mood. He asked me if the band was hurting me. I said no." There was a little silence between the two men. "Something was bothering him though."

"_Is _it doing anything else to you?" the knight asked.

"Well, yes, it's making me weaker."

"Maybe you should tell Arthur that."

"I think he already knows," Merlin replied. "He stood behind me when I got back on Orion earlier."

"I told you Arthur cares about you. I don't think he would ever hurt you."

Merlin answered with a shrug which the prince did not see in the darkness.

"Well, I've done my part," Lancelot said with a smile. "I disappeared for a while after you healed my broken arm."

"Don't think I didn't notice."

_Broken arm? _Arthur thought back, remembering. Lancelot had been injured when the lake monster had smashed into their little boat. Merlin had come after them by himself in the middle of the night. He must have healed Lance on the island. Arthur's hand moved of its own volition to his neck. He had been puzzled when the knife wound had healed in less than a day. He had laid down for a brief nap before dinner…. A small groan escaped him. Merlin had knocked his hand down later when he had tried to touch his neck. He must have healed it while he was sleeping.

"We need to get back before Arthur wakes up and finds you missing," Lancelot said.

"You've never tried to wake him up in the morning, have you?" Merlin said, with a snicker.

"He's not sleeping in his own bed in his father's castle," Lancelot replied. "That makes a big difference."

"I know."

Arthur eased back from cover and turned to retrace his steps as quietly as he could. He needed to be in bed 'asleep' before Merlin stepped around (on?) his bedding. Moments later, he nodded casually to Elyan still on sentry duty and noted with considerable satisfaction Gwaine snoring away. He glanced at the other figures sleeping peacefully but failed to notice Lord Torr watching him through slitted eyes.

Arthur had barely laid down when Merlin emerged from the woods alone. He picked his way slowly in Arthur's direction. Clumsy, this time from fatigue, Merlin tripped over Arthur's feet and fell to his hands and knees. Arthur sat up, giving his best impression of someone awakened from a deep sleep. "Merlin?" he mumbled, "what are you doing up?" He would have said more but he didn't trust himself not to bust out laughing.

"Sorry, Arthur. Nothing." Finding it too much of an effort to stand back up, Merlin crawled on his hands and knees over to his bedroll where he fell on his face.

Whatever the boy's shortcomings as a servant, Arthur reflected, he more than made up for it in entertainment value.

A few moments later, Lancelot slipped back into camp. Elyan was finding his stint at sentry duty unusually eventful.

Much earlier, at the castle

"Merlin! Geoffrey has translated the inscription for you." Gaius returned to his chambers in a good mood which soon dissipated. The physician climbed the few steps to the little room to find it empty. The blanket from the bed was strewn on the floor, along with Merlin's night clothes. It wasn't much of an effort to work out what had happened. Arthur.

_The prince better keep him safe, _Gaius thought grimly.

**a/n: This chapter makes reference to two of my previous stories - "Mountain Pass" and "Black Opal."**


	8. Chapter 8

**Please review/critique. Thanks.**

Chapter Eight

Daegan's stable hand, a man by the name of Travis, was hurrying back to Drachenfels just ahead of Arthur's party. He knew very well they were behind him and had stopped several times to monitor their progress from a higher elevation. He wasn't sure why they were coming, but it became increasingly clear Drachenfels was their destination.

Travis, a wiry man in his mid-forties with gray-streaked hair, studied the group from a distance. Lord Torr's large figure was easy to pick out and Prince Arthur with his blonde hair. There were three men he was less sure of; two were possibly servants (Lionel had brought his own man), and the third he thought was Lord Torr's son, Justin.

Travis was not a man generally given to deep thought, but he found it odd that his master and Justin were related without either man seemingly aware of it. The latter had stayed at Drachenfels for a week and a half while he did some work for Daegan. The man was an artisan of considerable talent, and his master had been quite pleased with his work.

Though few had seen it, the servants and other workers, including Travis, knew very well that Daegan kept a magical creature of great beauty, rumored to be the firebird of legend, imprisoned in an upper tower. The creature had been procured for his master by a rather intimidating sorcerer by the name of Nerian who Daegan allowed to stay in the castle in return for services rendered. Finding the man frightening, the servants went out of their way to avoid him.

Campsite

Arthur woke to the sound of robins, jays, and finches, and the freshness of the new morning. It was pleasant lying there listening to the wind rustling through the oak, aspen, and pine, letting his thoughts drift and not worrying about weighty matters such as curses and destinies. He turned his head to glance at his friend. Merlin lay on his stomach with his head turned away, much as he had fallen during the night. The thought made him uneasy. The prince reached over and tugged at Merlin's upper arm. The young man mumbled a drowsy protest. Relieved, Arthur sank back onto his blankets. He supposed it was selfish of himself to drag Merlin on this quest, but he hadn't wanted to leave him.

A bit later, when the rest of the camp was waking up, Arthur rummaged through his and Merlin's saddlebags and brought out ham, venison, and biscuits. He sliced up the venison with a hunting knife and handed Merlin a plate. Lord Torr watched from across the campfire as he and his son were served breakfast by the noble's personal servant. It was a novel experience for Justin. The only person who had ever waited on him in his entire life had been his mother.

A shrewd and clever man, Lord Torr had a fairly accurate idea of exactly what the bracelet was doing to Merlin and had from the getgo. Despite his long friendship with Uther, Lionel was no fool. He had no wish to incur the enmity of his future monarch and so chose to keep his own counsel. He glanced around the campsite at the knights. None of them seemed at all bothered that the prince chose to wait on his own servant. The thought came to him that Arthur was an enigmatic young man and wondered how well Uther knew his son and heir.

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Surprisingly, Daegan's initial reaction upon hearing the stable hand's report was not fury but curiosity. He was related to the soft-spoken, gray-eyed artisan who had stayed with him in his castle? Justin did not favor his father at all, well, except for the gray eyes which Daegan belatedly remembered were a family trait. If there had been nothing at stake, he might even have been pleased. As it was, there was a title and considerable land at issue. If Lionel had not been a close friend of the king, Daegan thought he could make his case that Justin had been born out of wedlock. But with that friendship, all bets were off.

It was the second part of Travis' report that the man found puzzling. Arthur was coming with the knights along with Lord Torr and possibly the noble's son. The stable hand had not been close enough to confirm the latter's presence. Why? Lionel would hardly have asked the king for the escort of the knights to announce that he (Daegan) had been disinherited.

It had to be the firebird. He could think of nothing else he possessed that the king would want. But how would Uther have known? It took him seconds to come up with the correct answer. Justin. The man who had painted the mystical creature in breath-taking and pain-staking detail. The man for whom beauty flowed from the tip of his brush.

Daegan wasted no time in self-blame. He sent a servant for Nerian, the sorcerer whom he allowed to shelter at Drachenfels.

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There was something worrying at the back of Arthur's mind, something important that wouldn't quite surface. He had been in no hurry to break camp and had so told his traveling companions. He had decided to take a walk alone through the woods in hopes of remembering. He had walked a ways clearing his mind and had stopped to watch a woodpecker. He thought about the clandestine meeting during the night between Merlin and Lancelot. Merlin had told the knight that the inscription was in Latin, and suddenly the prince remembered. Justin. Lord Torr had told his father that he had paid for a tutor for his son and that among other things, he had taught him Greek and Latin. Excited, Arthur had been on the point of hurrying back to camp when he pulled up short. Neither Gaius nor Merlin had told him that the inscription was in Latin. He had come by that information by eavesdropping on Lance and Merlin. Hmm. He needed to be careful.

When the prince returned to camp, he saw his servant sitting on a log and talking with Gwaine and Lancelot. He plopped himself down between Merlin and Lance, forcing the latter to scoot further away. He gripped his servant's left arm and felt the bracelet under his jacket sleeve.

"So, Merlin," the prince said, "Gaius was unable to read this?"

"He said his Latin was a little rusty, and he went to consult with Geoffrey."

Arthur waited a moment or two for Merlin to make a few sarcastic remarks, but his servant said nothing more. He took a deep breath and exhaled in relief. That was easier than he thought it was going to be. He looked around the camp and spotted Justin sitting near Elyan and Percival.

"Justin," he called out. "Didn't I hear that your tutor taught you Latin?"

"Yes," the man replied, "My mother engaged a tutor for me although how she could afford it, I don't -." On the thought, he fell silent. He looked across the camp and saw his father watching with polite interest. Of course. He should have thought of that.

Any other time, Arthur would have found the byplay between Justin and his father intriguing, but not now. "I wonder if you could take a look at the inscription on this bracelet and translate it for my servant." The prince started taking the jacket off the dark-haired young man with Merlin weakly attempting to assist him. "Gwaine." The knight pulled it off the rest of the way on his side. Justin moved to stand in front of the four of them while Arthur hastily rolled up the sleeve on Merlin's left arm. He moved up and out of the way and let Justin sit down.

"It's been years since I studied Latin, but I'll try," he said in his soft-spoken manner. He spun the bracelet around, finding the start of the inscription. He said the Latin words out loud to himself, working out their meaning and remembering his early lessons. At last he was satisfied, and he told Merlin - and everyone else - what it said.

When the rays of the rising sun strike this,

you will be set free.

Arthur looked up at the sky. It was mid-morning.


	9. Chapter 9

**Please review/critique. Thanks.**

Chapter Nine

Breaking Camp

Gwaine had saddled up Orion for Merlin and was busy fastening his bedroll to the back of the saddle. Arthur looked around for Lancelot and saw him nearby with Merlin. Good. He walked over. "Lancelot. If something happens to me, I want you to make sure Merlin's left wrist is exposed to the sunrise tomorrow. Take off his jacket, and roll up his sleeve. The bracelet as you know is weakening him," the prince said, careful of his wording, not wanting to reveal secret knowledge.

Lancelot would have done so in any event, but he listened courteously. "Yes, Sire."

"Well, just talk over me," Merlin said, a little annoyed. Arthur ruffled his hair before walking away to confer with Sir Leon and Lord Torr.

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Daegan told Nerian that the knights were coming, and he wanted them stopped before they got inside the castle. He should have been more specific; four of them were not dressed as knights. The sorcerer told him not to worry. This wouldn't even be hard.

Nerian needed a ready source of inanimate matter - rock or clay would do nicely. He hurried outside of the castle to a nearby rock face. He spoke the necessary spells and a human-shaped creature began to form itself from the rock. He then repeated the process until two golems were standing before him. They were tall - at least a foot taller than Percival - and broad-shouldered, with large, thick hands, their faces featureless. He had intended to make three, but both of the men Daegan had sent out as scouts had returned. Arthur and his knights were coming.

The sorcerer waited until the knights were actually in view then etched two words upon each of their foreheads using magic. The Celtic runes read _Stop Knights. _He then spoke one final spell to animate the creatures and commanded them to guard the lower end of the path. Satisfied with his work, he hurried up the rock-strewn path to the back entrance of Drachenfels.

Lord Torr, although well-armed, was not wearing chain mail and would not be identified as a threat by the literal creatures. Oops.

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It was early nightfall when the knights approached the footpath leading up to the back entrance. They halted their horses and apprehensively eyed the golems in silence for a few moments, a feeling of dread stealing over them.

"What _are_ those?" Percival asked, uneasily.

"They're called golems," Merlin answered wearily, trying not to fall off his horse. "They're made from inanimate matter and respond to the command etched on their forehead."

"Which would be to stop us," Arthur said.

"Probably," Merlin agreed.

Arthur dismounted Pyramus. Gwaine and several of the knights made a move to dismount also.

"Halt!" Arthur commanded. "Stay on your horses. I want to see how fast these creatures move."

Sir Leon and Gwaine both swore. "Arthur," Lord Torr started to protest.

The prince raised his hand to silence them. He didn't need any distractions. The one person who disobeyed his order was - big surprise - Merlin. The warlock slid off Orion and held on to the chestnut's neck, his fingers intertwining themselves in the cream-colored mane.

Arthur moved a few tentative steps forward. The golems bent their knees and raised their massive hands in a defensive posture, their actions signaling 'you will not pass.'

"Arthur," Lord Torr demanded, in an authoritative manner, "come back over here. Now. Get back on your horse. Now."

Not one of the knights expected him to do so. The prince did not obey orders. He gave them. He ignored the noble. Lord Torr swore again. If they ever made it back to Camelot in one piece, Uther was getting an earful.

Arthur began to circle around the creatures with them shifting their bodies to follow his movements. Despite their fear for the prince, the knights studied the golems, their movements, their response time. How fast were they? Unfortunately, Arthur was about to find out.

The prince feinted to his right then tore off like a jackrabbit to his left, sprinting around them. He headed for the steep path, almost making it. The golem closest to him spun around, grabbed him around the torso and flung him like a rag doll away from the path. Arthur hit hard but on vegetation and earth, not on one of the many rocks. Still the impact was enough to knock him out. Merlin was already moving. He managed to stay on his feet and planted himself between the golem and the fallen prince. Lancelot's heart skipped several beats. He alone knew how very vulnerable the warlock was. "Merlin, no," the knight said and dismounted.

"Wait, Lance," Merlin said. The creature halted and tilted his head, seemingly confused. The rest of the men exhaled and resumed breathing. They had expected the slender young man to be torn in two. What was stopping the creature? What was different? What about the dark-haired servant was not a threat?

Lord Torr came up with the answer first. "Merlin," Lionel said in a nonthreatening, conversational tone, "the creatures have been commanded to stop _knights_. They're not perceiving you as a danger." He dismounted.

_Well, that was hardly flattering_, the warlock thought. _I would so enjoy blasting them into gravel_. Aloud he said, "Could you bring a blanket, please? We can cover Arthur's chain mail."

"An excellent suggestion," Lord Torr said, untying a blanket from Arthur's saddle. He looked at his son. "Justin, you should be safe enough if you want to get down. Sir Leon, I suggest that the rest of your men stay mounted or possibly retreat a safe distance."

It went against every fiber of the knights' beings to retreat and leave Merlin as the only thing standing between two fearsome monsters and the unconscious prince. Gwaine and Lancelot in particular both wanted to back up their friend.

Sir Leon reluctantly gave the order to retreat a safe distance and set up camp for the night.

Lord Torr carried the blanket over to where the prince lay sprawled in the tall grasses, one arm flung over his head. His son and his servant were beside him. Lionel covered the chain mail with the blanket and, reaching for Arthur's arm, tucked it under the blanket, out of sight also. He turned to speak to Merlin who was still standing between the now-motionless golems and the prince.

"Arthur should be safe enough for the moment. Come join us."

Too tired to think, the warlock walked slowly over and sank wearily down next to Arthur. In a few moments, his eyelids closed of their own accord, and he toppled over onto his side asleep.

When Arthur came to an hour later, Lord Torr's servant had fetched bedrolls and provisions, and set up a temporary camp. The prince groaned and sat up, clutching his head. He saw Merlin lying asleep beside him, and reaching down, squeezed his upper arm to reassure himself. Lionel and Justin rushed to keep the blanket from slipping off the chain mail. The noble hastily explained the situation, and why Arthur needed to keep the blanket around him.

"Why don't we just take it off of him, father?" Justin asked.

Lionel had already reached the same conclusion. While the servant held the blanket up as a screen, Lionel and his son removed the chain mail off the unresisting prince.

Sometime during the night, Merlin found himself being shaken awake by Lancelot. Gwaine was standing beside him, and both men had removed their armor.

"Merlin, look," Lancelot said, pointing to one of the high towers. A golden radiance filled the window.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows. I appreciate it. Please review/critique.**

Chapter Ten

Although Lord Torr was lying down, he was not asleep. He listened to Lancelot and Gwaine talking to Merlin about their plans for a night foray into the castle to free the firebird.

"I can get you to that tower," Lord Torr contributed, sitting up. "This castle has been in my family for generations, and I know every back stairway and secret passage."

"I'm coming too," Justin said, also awake and listening. He had recently spent ten days drawing and painting the firebird. He wasn't going to miss the chance to see the real thing.

Lord Torr did not want his son to come, thinking it too dangerous; however, he had been absent the first thirty years of Justin's life so he supposed he could hardly start ordering him around now. He looked at Merlin. "Are you strong enough to do this?"

"Yes, I want to," Merlin said, not quite answering the question. The truth was he didn't feel well at all. A few hours sleep helped a little, but the bracelet was still weakening him. The noble looked him over assessingly but made no comment.

"Will the - golems - remember that Gwaine and I were wearing armor yesterday?" Lancelot asked Merlin, with a nervous glance over where the creatures sat motionless not far away.

"No," Merlin reassured the knight. "They're not capable of independent thought."

Several of them looked at Arthur lying asleep nearby. "What about Arthur?" Gwaine asked.

"He was feeling dizzy earlier. Don't wake him," Lionel replied. "Someone needs to stay with him."

After much discussion in lowered tones, it was decided that Gwaine (and the other servant) would remain with the prince.

Moments later, the four men walked past the stone creatures with as much bravado and nonchalance as they could muster. The golems shifted their weight and turned their bodies to watch them pass but otherwise made no threatening moves.

Nearly an hour had passed before Lord Torr, pushing through a panel hidden on the other side, emerged from a dusty passageway followed by his three companions. (Daegan knew nothing of the secret passage although he walked past it on a regular basis.) Merlin, supported on both sides by Justin and Lancelot, sneezed from the accumulated dust. Lord Torr looked back at the servant in some concern. Well, they were here now. Pointless to second-guess himself. He looked down the corridor in both directions, seeing no guards. Half-way down, a door stood open, a strange golden light radiating from the room's interior, and voices were heard. Seconds later, Lord Torr stepped silently into the room, followed by Justin, anxious to see the firebird. Lancelot entered behind them, heavily supporting Merlin.

Two servants, a man and a woman, had lowered a large golden cage to the floor and were feeding the phoenix a plate of exotic fruits and nuts. Hearing sound, the two turned startled faces toward the door. They recognized the noble at once as Daegan's elder kinsman. "Milord," they said, with a bow and a curtsy.

Lionel acknowledged them with a nod. He rather thought the woman had waited on him at table on a prior occasion. "Leave the cage down, and the door open when you leave," he told them.

"Yes, milord," the two said, exchanging uneasy looks and bowing themselves out of the room.

"We have a limited amount of time before those two bring Daegan and his men down upon us." He supposed he could have forcibly detained them, but he had no desire to harm a woman.

Justin was gazing with an artist's eye at the firebird, seeing what he'd mostly gotten right. The mystical creature had feathers largely red in color with an extremely long tail which extended several feet from the cage. Its wings and tail feathers were tipped in yellow gold. Atop its head was a tuft of long wispy feathers, blue and purple mixed in with the red and gold.

The firebird finished eating and began to sing a wordless song of haunting beauty, and all four of them stood still to listen. A few moments or maybe eons later (time no longer seemed to have meaning), Lancelot shook himself, coming to his senses first. _Dawn. It was nearly dawn. _He remembered his promise to Arthur.

"Justin! Help me," Lancelot said, sharply. The artisan shook himself in turn and supported Merlin as the knight hastily tore off the jacket and rolled up the shirt sleeve on the warlock's left arm.

Lord Torr, seeing what they were about, looked up at the room's single source of light, a barred window high up on the wall. He doubted if the rays of the rising sun would strike them even standing. He looked at the golden cage. It was large enough for the slender servant, but was it sturdy enough? It was attached by a thick rope to the ceiling and could be raised or lowered by a pulley (which the servants had done.) The metal structure itself seemed strong. Could they coax the firebird out? Did they even have time?

In the end, the three men had helped the warlock, energy nearly depleted, through the large open door and into the cage. The firebird had stopped singing to watch them. Justin murmured to it in soothing tones, reassuring it of their innocuous intent. The bird cocked its head as it listened, curiosity and intelligence in its amber eye. The creature moved itself to the other side as the cage tilted under Merlin's added weight. The three men watched for a few moments apprehensively before pulling the cage back up. They knew the dark-haired young man had little strength left to fight off an attack.

"You okay, Merlin?" Lancelot asked.

"Yeah."

"You won't fall out if we leave the cage door open?"

"No."

It took all three of the men pulling on the rope together to raise the cage with its added weight. Lord Torr wrapped the rope around the metal hook on the wall when the cage was high enough. Merlin watched through the window as the sky outside lightened amid streaks of salmon, saffron yellow, and a rosy pink, and the firebird began to sing again.

"Merlin!" Lancelot said urgently, as if his friend had forgotten about the inscription and needed reminding, "let the sun hit your bracelet!"

_Really, Lance? _Merlin thought. "It's not my damn bracelet," he muttered aloud. He held his wrist to the window as the rising sun came pouring into the room. The bracelet snapped open with a soft metallic click and hit the floor a few seconds later with a much louder clang. Merlin gasped as power surged through his body.

"Merlin?" the knight asked again, "you okay?"

"Oh, yeah."

The firebird began to radiate light, filling the room.

"We'll need to carry the firebird out through the secret passage," Lord Torr said, eyeing the bars on the high window.

Too late. Footsteps and voices were heard coming down the corridor.

"Merlin," Lord Torr said, in desperation. "We need to free the firebird to end the curse. I guessed the purpose of the bracelet in the dining hall. It was to inhibit your magic. I've said nothing to the king, and I don't intend to. Go ahead and -"

"_Gewican ge stanas!" _The blast sent the bars and the stone and mortar around the window exploding outward. The men in the hallway stopped in their tracks. _What was that?_

"Go ahead," Merlin urged the bird, with a gesture toward the open cage door. "You're free now."

With a last look at the warlock, the firebird flew out the open door and through the newly created hole in the wall and out into the breaking dawn.

Lord Torr turned toward his son. "I'll explain later."

"I don't think that needs a whole lot of explaining, father," Justin replied. The artisan noticed the bracelet on the floor and, picking it up, stuck it in his pocket with the intention of studying the design later.

The door to the room was pushed cautiously open further. Daegan, Nerian, and several guards stood there.

"Hello, cousin," Lord Torr said, in greeting.

Elsewhere, a few moments earlier

Arthur woke up feeling better. He looked around and saw Gwaine sitting nearby. He did not see Lord Torr, Justin, and -. "Where's Merlin?" he asked, irritably.

"Uh, he left with the others," Gwaine said, cautiously.

"By others, you mean Lionel and Justin?"

"And Lancelot."

"Of course, 'and Lancelot,'" the prince said through his teeth. "And they went where -?" Like he actually needed to ask. On the thought, he turned and saw the golems still standing motionless at the bottom of the path. "They got _around_ those things?"

"Yeah, Lance and I both removed our chain mail. Guess you already heard - Lord Torr figured out that someone commanded them to stop _knights. _Not too bright," he snickered.

Just then, the early morning stillness was rocked by the sound of a blast. The two men looked toward Drachenfels and saw stone and mortar raining down from one of the towers. Seconds later, the firebird flew through the jagged hole and, radiating light, it streaked like a fiery comet across the sky.


	11. Chapter 11

**Please review/critique. Thanks!**

Chapter Eleven

"Relieve our unexpected guests of their weapons," Daegan told his guards who hurried to comply. They weren't particularly happy about having to do so since they all recognized Lord Torr.

Daegan looked from his cousin to the open door on the suspended cage to the large jagged hole in the tower wall. His gaze slid over Justin. He was so angry, he hardly knew where to begin.

"You have let a rare and priceless creature escape. One that _I owned _- "

"The firebird belongs to no one," Lord Torr said, in a mild tone.

"You have blown a hole in the wall of my castle - how did you do that, by the way?"

"Technically Drachenfels and its holdings belong to me as the head of the family, but don't trouble yourself, I have no desire to live here," Lord Torr said.

"You have brought knights and snuck up the back way past castle defenses - " Here Daegan turned narrowed eyes toward Nerian. "You said it would be no problem to stop them," he said to the man in an accusatory way. "I'll be anxious to hear your explanation later. I'm sure you'll make it a good one."

The sorcerer looked a little uneasy. He wasn't sure what had gone wrong. Wait. He looked at Lancelot. Wasn't this man a knight? He wore no chain mail, but he looked in peak condition, and he had a sword such as a knight might carry. He began to realize his mistake. Nerian looked up. Lord Torr was smiling pleasantly at him.

"The three of you - " Daegan continued with his tirade.

_Three? _thought Lord Torr, startled. He barely stopped himself from turning around and looking up at the suspended cage. He felt Justin jerk beside him, and he knew the man had likewise stopped himself. Lancelot was standing slightly behind him. He felt it unwise to turn and look at him.

"- snuck up here past my guards - how did you manage that? I have men posted around the corner on _both_ ends of the corridor." Daegan looked closely at his cousin's clothing. "Is that a _spider_ web? You're usually more fastidious in your grooming, cousin."

Lionel plucked at the sticky silk strands on his shoulder with his fingers, a teeny bit annoyed with himself. He had been careless.

Daegan eyed him suspiciously. "Is there possibly a secret passage that I know nothing about? Would you care to share that information, Lionel?"

Lord Torr smiled unperturbed at his cousin, infuriating him further. Daegan swore to himself he was going to wipe that smug look off Lionel's face if it was the last thing he did. Wait. His gaze fell on Justin. He wasn't thinking. He _did _have leverage. He turned to the guards.

"Please escort my dear cousin to one of the guest rooms and post guards on the door. Also -" He indicated Lancelot, unsure of his name. "Oh, and Justin will be coming with me." Daegan put one hand on Justin's arm. He was gratified to see the smile disappear from the noble's face.

"No, he won't," Lionel said firmly, grabbing Justin's other arm. He wasn't sure how, but Daegan seemed to know of his relationship to Justin.

The artisan, accustomed his entire life to being ignored by his father's side of the family, found himself in the very strange position of being fought over by his father and his cousin.

Lying in the center of the suspended cage, Merlin wished the two feuding cousins would quit snipping at each other. He was feeling cramped and claustrophobic. The firebird was free, the hated bracelet was off his wrist, the quest was successful. He just wanted to collect Lancelot and the two of them to get the hell out of this place and back to Gwaine and Arthur. Why did things have to get complicated?

In the end, Lord Torr had little to say in the matter; he was both unarmed and outnumbered. He and Lancelot shortly found themselves sitting in one of the guest rooms, escorted there by several very unhappy guards. The guards were painfully aware that Drachenfels belonged to the noble whether he chose to live there or not.

Elsewhere, a bit later

"You told Lionel that I had the firebird?" Daegan asked his newly found relative.

"It was the king actually, and I didn't know for sure." For the second time in two days, Justin found himself being waited on by servants. "Thank you," he said politely to the man refilling his wine goblet. He and Daegan were eating breakfast alone in the dining hall.

"But Lionel _freed_ the firebird," Daegan said, not understanding. _What was the point?_

"Oh, the king didn't want to keep it. He just needed it freed." He told his cousin about the infertility curse.

Daegan sank back in his chair, astonished. "And your father didn't think to just tell me this?"

"I guess not," Justin replied, uncomfortably. "I don't know him very well."

"Did Lionel visit you a lot when you were growing up?" Daegan asked, curious.

"No. I just met him a few days ago."

Daegan stared at him in silence for a moment. "I suppose it was that wife of his who stopped him," he said, musing out loud. "She was strong-willed and demanding. I think even Lionel was hesitant to cross her."

"Maybe he just didn't want to be my father." Justin kept his gaze lowered.

"No, that wasn't it," Daegan said, smiling a bit. He might loath his noble cousin, but he'd give the devil his due.

"Um, you _are_ letting Lancelot and my father go?"

"Eventually," he said, sardonically. "Let him stew for a while. He thinks I'm busy murdering you."

Justin couldn't think of a single thing to reply to that. He took another swallow of his wine.

Back to the tower

Merlin had waited until the last echo of footsteps had faded before jumping down from the cage, using a bit of magic to slow his descent. Exulting from the return of his magic, he felt euphoric. He was going to blast the two golems into rubble. No, sand. He was going to pulverize them. He had happily started down the corridor when he pulled himself up, saner thoughts prevailing. It was daylight now. He should know; he had just watched the sun come up. He would be using his magic in full view of Arthur and the knights. He sighed, disappointed. Okay. New plan. Find his friend and get the hell out of this place.


	12. Chapter 12

**Please review/critique. Thanks.**

Chapter Twelve

Merlin had gone down several unfamiliar corridors without any luck when he felt himself seized around the middle and pulled into a darkened alcove. He struggled in silence trying to free himself when he grabbed at the man's left hand, and felt the ring on the index finger. _Arthur. _He stopped struggling.

The prince in turn slid his left hand around Merlin's wrist. He could feel beneath the sleeve of the jacket. The bracelet was gone. He exhaled in relief. That was one less thing he had to worry about. "Are you stronger now?" he asked, turning loose.

Merlin stepped back into the corridor and turned around. For the first time he noticed the man standing behind the prince. "Gwaine," he said, happy to see his friend. "Yes, Arthur, I've gotten my strength back." _And my magic._

For the next few minutes, the trio compared notes and exchanged information. Gwaine and Arthur talked about seeing the phoenix flying free and about getting around the golems and into the castle. Merlin told them about what went on in the tower room (well, he left out the part about blasting a large hole in the wall) and about the argument between Lord Torr and his cousin. He explained about Lancelot and Lord Torr being escorted under guard to one of the guest rooms.

"I can't find them," the warlock concluded, forlornly.

Here they ran into a bit of luck. Lionel had sketched out the basic floor plan of Drachenfels for Arthur and Sir Leon before they had all left Camelot. Arthur had left the sketch in his saddle bag, but he remembered enough of it to lead them to the general area of the guest rooms.

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Lord Torr had regained his customary calm. On reflection he had decided it was unlikely that Daegan would harm Justin. The man had been trying to get a rise out of him which he had provided, he thought, mentally kicking himself. He and Lancelot were enjoying a rather sumptuous breakfast which he had procured for them by the simple expedient of walking to the door and ordering one of the guards to send for it. The noble was settled back in his chair watching his companion-in-confinement fiddling with his fork and pushing the same small piece of ham around his plate for several minutes.

"Was there something you wished to ask me?" Lord Torr asked.

Lancelot looked up, meeting the gray eyes so like his son's. "You - you won't tell the king about Merlin?" he asked, hoping the noble wouldn't take offense at the question. He found the man intimidating.

"No, I will not. I gave Merlin my word, and I won't betray that trust."

"And Arthur? You won't tell him either? He doesn't know."

Lionel could have enlightened the younger man on that score, but he chose to say nothing. "No, I won't tell him either."

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"I'm thinking a gryphon rampant on this wall, or do you think it should be sitting on its haunches?" Daegan asked.

"I could do either one," Justin replied. "Or how about a gryphon in flight, wings outspread? Maybe about to swoop down on its unsuspecting prey."

"Yes, yes, I'm liking it," Daegan said, nodding his head. He and the artisan had finished eating and were walking through the great hall discussing another commission. Not only would hiring Justin give him another valuable work of art, Daegan thought, but keeping the man here for a matter of weeks would yield the added bonus of annoying the hell out of his father.

"I kept the jars of paint you left when you finished painting the firebird, not that you'll be using that much red and gold. And you know you left some brushes."

"You bought them," Justin replied.

"You could have taken them. I bought them for you. Anyway, tell me what supplies you'll be needing or, better yet, tell me how much money you want up front."

"All right."

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It wasn't difficult to decide which room Lord Torr and Lancelot were being held in. There were three guards in front of the door. Although both Arthur and Gwaine drew their swords, they weren't needed. Two of the guards immediately recognized the prince, the third took his cue from them.

"Your highness," one of them said, bowing. He stood back to allow them to enter.

Arthur nodded to them. He entered, followed by Gwaine and Merlin, the three of them pausing just inside the door. Lancelot was lounging on the bed while Lord Torr was sitting at his ease in one of the chairs. The remains of their breakfast set on a nearby table.

"Doesn't this place have a dungeon?" Gwaine asked, sarcastically.

"Actually it does," Lionel replied. "My cousin doesn't seem to be using it."

Back to the Great Hall

Justin was about to discover that having his father in his life was not an unmixed blessing.

Daegan had been busy describing the gryphon in great detail, down to the particular shades of color he was wanting. Justin, listening, was feeling increasingly uneasy. He looked at his patron with alarm in his gray eyes.

"What?" Daegan asked.

"You - you don't have an actual gryphon in one of your towers, do you?"

Daegan started laughing. He found his new cousin charming.

"Perhaps you would care to let the rest of us in on the joke?" Lord Torr asked, politely, from the doorway.

Daegan whipped around and saw his elder cousin with two knights, a servant, and - uh oh - the prince. He waited cringingly for the latter to address him but other than a glare from blue eyes, Arthur ignored him.

"Come, Justin," Lord Torr said, "we're leaving."

"Actually, father, I'll be staying here. I'm doing some additional painting."

"You will _not _be staying here," Lord Torr said, forgetting his resolve not to order his adult son around.

"And why not?" Justin asked, unaccustomed feelings of rebellion stirring in his chest.

Merlin and Lancelot both suppressed groans. Déjà vu.

Daegan unexpectedly offered a way out of the stalemate. "You'll need to pick up supplies in Camelot. If you could wait a minute, I'll get you some money."

"If my son needs money," Lord Torr said, his voice like ice, "I'll give it to him myself."


	13. Chapter 13

**Please read and review. Thanks. **

Chapter Thirteen

There were reasons Arthur was a successful military leader. Two of them: he could read a situation, and he knew where his men were. And at the moment he knew his servant was allowing his horse to slip back between the knights.

An hour earlier, Arthur and his traveling companions, including Justin, had exited the back entrance of Drachenfels, hurried down the rock-strewn path, and cautiously edged around the motionless golems. Percival and Gwaine had taken it upon themselves to shield the prince, the latter even going so far as to shove Arthur behind him.

Merlin, in turn, had edged past. In doing so, he made a promise to himself that he was going to double-back somehow and pulverize the creatures. He felt sure he could ditch the knights; ditching the prince was a whole different proposition.

Reaching their temporary camp, everyone had pitched in packing up and saddling the horses, although Justin once again found his father's servant rolling up his bedding and tying it to the back of his saddle. He exchanged a wordless glance with his father.

They had been riding for twenty minutes when Merlin saw Arthur talking with Sir Leon. Thinking him distracted, the warlock had allowed Orion to fall further back. When he drew level with Lancelot, Merlin leaned closer and whispered to him. "Cover me. I need to go back for, uh, something. I'll catch up."

Arthur was _not_ distracted. He was telling Sir Leon to ride ahead with the men and not stop to wait for him. When Merlin cleared the last of the riders, he turned Orion around and loped off in a beeline for Drachenfels. Arthur was after him in a minute. The dark-haired young man, looking back over his shoulder, saw Arthur pursuing him and, annoyed, urged the chestnut into a flat-out run. Arthur rather enjoyed racing after the horse on his long-legged, powerfully built stallion, Pyramus. It was a short race. Arthur caught up with his servant, and reaching over, hauled on the reins, pulling Orion to a halt.

"Going somewhere, Merlin?" Arthur asked, pleasantly.

Merlin glared resentfully at the prince. "Why don't you ever mind your own damn business?"

"You _are_ my business. And you can't talk to me like that."

The pair rode back to rejoin the others with Merlin seething in silence. Lord Torr looked at them, seeing the sulky look on Merlin's face and the annoyed look on Arthur's. He thought they were behaving more like friends who'd had a falling out than prince and servant.

Campsite, late evening

Merlin, having had time to reflect, decided his earlier behavior was childish. He had felt helpless and vulnerable without his magic, and he supposed his single-minded determination to destroy the golems had sprung from that. And for once he needed to give Arthur credit. The prince had been trying to protect and take care of him.

Merlin politely served Arthur his evening meal, cleaned up afterwards, and laid out the prince's bedroll. He had rubbed down both of the horses earlier and now decided to brush them.

"If you need me, Arthur, I'll be grooming the horses," Merlin said, digging in his saddlebag for one of the brushes.

The prince was feeling restless. "I'll brush out Pyramus myself."

"I'll do it, Arthur, and I'm sorry about earlier."

"You should be. No, I want something to do. You can groom your own horse."

"Okay."

The knights watched the two of them walk through camp and head in the direction of the horses. The pair seemed to have resolved their earlier differences, Lancelot thought. Lord Torr, his mind worrying at the knotty problem of keeping his son away from Drachenfels, barely registered the prince and his servant leaving camp.

Lord Torr had decided to suggest - no, insist - that Justin show the king his preliminary sketch of the firebird, the one that he'd kept. He had a reason for doing so. If Uther would give Justin a commission in the castle, it would keep him out of Drachenfels. Otherwise, every wall in that accursed place would be covered with wyverns, dragons, unicorns, centaurs, goblins, fairies -. He paused. Okay, even he had to admit that was kind of funny.

The prince had vigorously brushed Pyramus, the black coat gleaming in the fading light. He walked the stallion over afterwards to a nearby stream. He stood idly watching Merlin brushing out his own horse. The chestnut was a beautiful animal, and he knew Merlin loved him. The irony was that Orion had been purchased for his servant's use by the king (rather at his order.) He supposed his father had been grateful when Merlin had found him (Arthur) on the island with Gwaine and an injured Lancelot. A stab of fear went through him when he thought of what his father would do if he ever found out Merlin had magic. And being the prince's personal servant wouldn't be enough to save him.

_Emrys, I need to speak with you_. It was the voice of the one person Merlin had hoped to never see or hear from again. Mariana.

_No! We did what you wanted. _Merlin fought down rising panic.

_It's not about the firebird. Oh, Mother's grateful by the way. You won't try to use your magic against me?_

_I didn't last time, _Merlin thought, aggrieved.

The prince looked curiously at his servant. The dark-haired young man seemed agitated, and he kept looking around. "Merlin? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Arthur. You can - do you want me to finish up here?"

"No." Merlin was trying to get rid of him. Why? The prince suddenly noticed the currents of icy air curling around his body and the horses' legs and caught a whiff of a familiar scent. What was it? Cinnamon, he thought, and some floral - orchids. It was orchids. And he remembered.

_Give me a few minutes to get Arthur out of here. _Desperation and fear for his friend surged through him.

"Oh, Prince Arthur won't be a problem." The blonde-haired young man fell unconscious under the black stallion's belly at the same time Persephone's daughter stepped into view. She was wearing the same midnight blue cape as before, her straight auburn hair falling past her shoulders. The dress she was wearing looked years too old for her, making her look like a child playing dress-up. The goddess' daughter was lovely and - lethal.

Merlin started toward Arthur.

"Leave him. He's not hurt. Mother would never allow me to harm him."

Somehow that was not reassuring. Merlin nervously looked at Pyramus. The high-strung stallion was clearly agitated. The animal had just watched his owner inexplicably fall to the ground. He moved restlessly, his hooves inches from Arthur's head.

"Let me - ."

"Stay where you are, Emrys. Just give me back the bracelet."

Merlin lost his battle with rising panic. "I don't have it."

Back to the Campsite

Lancelot knew about the peregrine falcon. Merlin had told him.

Lancelot was sitting on a log, idly talking to Justin when the falcon flew low through the camp. Several of the knights exclaimed upon seeing it, but none of them took it as a warning of danger. The dark-haired knight looked around. Neither Arthur nor Merlin had returned. Alarmed, he sprang up and hurried toward the horses, Justin following.

"Oh, don't be like that, Emrys," Mariana said, stamping her foot. "Mother was quite put out with me when I left the bracelet behind. She told me to get it back."

Merlin tried to think. He had last seen the bracelet in the tower room at Drachenfels. He had been in the cage with the firebird ….. He groaned. The damned thing must still be laying on the floor where it had fallen.

Lancelot and Justin stopped short when they saw Mariana with Merlin. Neither one had been present earlier when she had appeared at the castle and told King Uther about the curse, but they both knew who she was. The girl was lovely, but they recognized trouble when they saw it.

"Lance! Help Arthur," the warlock said, upon seeing them.

The knight sucked his breath in through his teeth when he looked around and saw the prince lying under the belly of the stallion. He walked slowly over and talked in a reassuring manner to Pyramus. He stroked the animal on the nose, attempting to calm it.

"Is there something I can do to help?" Justin asked Merlin.

"Not unless you know where the bracelet is."

"Well, I do, as a matter of fact," the artisan replied, pulling it from his pocket. He handed it to Mariana.

She dimpled prettily. "Thank you, Justin." She hugged the artisan and kissed him on the cheek. Turning, she vanished into the forest just as Gwaine, Elyan, and Percival arrived on the scene.

"Easy," Lancelot warned them. "Move slowly."

Elyan joined Lancelot in attempting to soothe the stallion while Gwaine and Percival eased the prince's limp body out and away from the horse.

Ten minutes later, Arthur was sitting up, holding his head. "What happened?"

"You just fainted like a little girl," Merlin told him.

"I did not."

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Epilogue - Two Months and Nineteen Days Later

Uther was standing at one end of a long table covered with charts and maps, Arthur beside him. The king was meeting with several of his high ranking council members.

"Sire!" Sir Leon entered the room with an air of excitement. He was accompanied by several knights. "We have one!"

"Bring it over here," Uther said.

The knights parted to reveal Percival holding a small animal in his large hands.

_What was going on? _Arthur wondered.

Percival deposited the gray kitten on the table in front of the king. It toddled over toward the prince. Merlin reached around him and scratched it behind one ear.

_Oh_, Arthur thought. _A baby_.

"Where was it found?" the king asked Sir Leon.

"One of the knights located it at an outlying farm, Sire. The woman wants it back."

"See to it." The king waved his hand.

Percival walked over and took the kitten away from Merlin, who had picked it up.

Relief swept through the room. The curse was broken.

The End.


End file.
